lIt's a lot of old rubbish-but it makes moneyติดประกาศ Fri 20 December 2013@11:10:36 โดย aom

Anonymous บันทึก "One community has pooled its talents to deal with garbage, clean the streets and generate income, writes Supoj Wancharoen

Ince faced with mounds of rubbish with all the attendant problems of smell and health issues, Sa-nguankham community in Bangkok's Nong Khaem district has shown how easy it is to turn things around and successfully and profitably manage the situation.
The small community has recently won praise from authorities and the public for its outstanding management of the tonnes of garbage the residents generate.
Today they cooperate in sorting and recycling their refuse and have set an example for the rest of the city.
Several different methods are used to reduce the amount of garbage and improve the quality of life of the residents.
Among them are a garbage bank, a garbage-for-tree saplings project and composted fertiliser.
Sa-nguankham community sets rules to manage household garbage. Rubbish bins are located at one spot in the community and the dumping time is set from 4pm to 5am on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. All households are required to clean their garbage bins every Wednesday.
The improved garbage management system has led to a sharp reduction in the amount of refuse being generated.
Now, the community generates only 500kg of rubbish every two days, down from 1.5 tonnes. Many households earn extra income from selling sorted garbage and products made from recycled rubbish.
Located on soi Phetkasem 81/3 in Bangkok's Nong Khaem sidtrict, Sa-nguankham community covers 30 rai of land and has a population of 860 people in 241 households.

Nong Khaem assistant district chief Pairoj Tothes said the community had been chosen by the district office to represent local residents in a "zero-waste" contest held to celebrate his Majesty the King's 86th birthday this year. The community won a "rising star" award for its successful garbage management, said Mr. Pairoj, adding it was the first year the community had taken part in the contest.
“The zero-waste contest, held by the Environmental Quality Promotion Department, attracted more than one thousand communities. There were three categories of community—large-sized communities (comprising more than one thousand people), middle-sized communities (fewer than one thousand people) and small communities (fewer than 500 people). Sa-nguankham community was placed in the medium-sized community division,” Mr. Pairoj said.
City Hall had entered communities from several districts, including Don Muang, Lat Phrao and Bang Khun Thien in the contest. Sa-nguankham community passed the first round in which 100 communities were selected to continue in the contest, and then it entered the final round.
“In the final round, 15 communities were chosen. Sa-nguankham was among those communities and later was presented the ‘rising star’ award, which brought pride to Nong Khaem residents,” Mr. Pairoj said.
The community had been chosen to represent Nong Khaem district as it has been a part of the district’s community based solid waste management (CMB) project since 2010. During the flooding crisis in 2011 the community had successfully managed its rubbish, Mr. Pairoj said. The locals give their full cooperation to the district in managing rubbish.
Yuphin Sa-ngunakham, chairwoman of the community, said local residents were keen to take part in garbage management-related activities after joining the CMB project in 2010. Those activities included garbage sorting, exchanging rubbish for tree saplings and the growing of edible plants
She said the community committee organized a forum on every activity to gauge the residents’ views. This encouraged the locals to unite and give their full cooperation to the community.
Duangduen Kittiprapas, a Nong Khaem district official working closely with the locals under the CMB project, said the community is a role model for other communities. Several communities and student groups across the country have taken study trips to Sa-nguankham community.
The Bangkok Metroplitan Administration’s encironment office will soon take Japanese officials to study the garbage management at Sa-nguankham, Mrs. Duangduen said.
Recycled rubbish is used as raw materials for the locals to produce products for sale. They make baskets from used milk cartons, bottles of drinking water, straws and beer bottles and flowers from plastic rope and old lottery tickets.
The income from the sale of locally made products is given to a community fund, Mrs. Yuphin said. The products are mostly produced by elderly people and children.
Sa-nguankham resident Prathueng Inthornbamrung, 71, said producing products from recycled items was a good activity for the elderly. She said the activity not only generated income for her but also brightened up her life as there were many elderly people taking part in the activity.
Mr. Pairoj said only five out of 75 communities in Nong Khaem had joined the CMB project. More communities would be encouraged to join next year.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is organized in accordance with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Act 1985 to be responsible for the management of the city of Bangkok. It is the sole organization at the local authority level responsible for its duties and it provides services for the well-being of Bangkok residents.